BSG 3.7 A Measure of Salvation

Jan 31, 2021 08:21

Just the one episode, butit was after I’d finished watching it and took a moment that I realised I’d been watching a show where Our (very flawed) Heroes had grappled with whether to commit genocide or not. I’d been too caught up with the dilemma, in the moment while watching it to fully take that in. I was totally with Helo, as in the price was way too high, and yeah, while I took Laura’s point that we hadn’t lived through the occupation. STILL. And I was too busy trying to work out scenarios such as if Athena also died and was resurrected, she’d provide the immunity, but who was going to make that call? Especially after she’d declared her loyalty to the uniform (somewhat rewarded because Adama stuck to the regulations in that he demanded presidential authority for inflicting biological warfare) while horrified at the implications. And then I was worried about how redundant Helo might be. But the Conscience of the Week was saved (because Adama does that for his people, possibly also because his current daughter was at risk, but mainly because he thought they’d been spared from doing a very bad thing.)

And that was after I had been very worried about Athena going on the mission to the infected ship at the top of the episode. (All the angst Helo and Athena have been through feels like quite enough.) This whole episode was also tinged with modern resonance with the talk of infection, quarantine and antibodies. It was quite a relief to be able to hoot ‘MAGIC HUMAN-CYLON BABY BLOOD, THE GIFT THAT KEEPS GIVING’, because carrying Hera had saved Sharon. But also we know all about the hazards of uncovered sneezes these days - I welcomed that it was proved that it was something the humans had left behind on the beacon 3000 years ago by accident, not malign intent, as the understandably paranoid Cylons believed.

One criticism I’d make is that the show refused the opportunity to have Kara face copies of the clones who had tormented her - good to see the not!doctor get a little more to do. But no, she barely had as much screen time as some of the other pilots (so she’s back flying again), having done the hair hacking of intent.) Okay, so they wanted to focus a bit more on other characters, but it seems like a narrative path they refused and I may harp on about this when/if they do pick up this thread.

What happened on Galactica was juxtaposed with Gaius on THE base ship. (And now the human fleet know he’s still alive, and giving the Cylons intel about the way to Earth.) I got irritated at yet another scene of Gaius being woozy in his sleeping area. Anyway, Resurrected!Six had ratted him out (big secret to keep and anyone else might have seen the same footage), and he was going to get tortured. Shouldn’t everyone consider he might be lying whether he’s tortured or not by this point? Interesting that he used ‘Diana’s name, hinting that she is the same Cylon as filmed the Galactica, possibly via resurrection. Resurrected!Six couldn’t bear him being tortured. Six-in-his-head tried to help him. And maybe he got to his torturer, who probably took too much attention of the declarations of love. And of course, this is the show examining the use of torture, and inviting us to compare the treatment of Gaius and Athena.

But the stuff involving the Galacticans was proper tense. I was reminded of all the times Lee and all of them have betrayed other human beings for their own survival (essentially) when he came up with his brilliant but awful plan. It was totally notable that Adama was not on board and listened to Helo’s very valid ethical issues. Roslin’s take suggested that some of it was lashing out in response to the occupation, as well as the fact that the Cylons are not just their enemy but ones that are probably headed where they’re headed. But once you’ve accepted the Cylons’ personhood, like the audience have, further complicated by the hybrids of the base ships, it’s genocide, Laura.

When Helo disconnected the wire, I had no idea what he was up to, and all my suppositions didn’t make sense so I was glad of the exposition after the event. (It’s fairly grim that his solution was to ‘mercy kill’ the Cylons who had prepared themselves to die without resurrection, to stop them infecting the rest.) (BUT ALSO, where did the informant the Doc had treated fit into all this? Had they not treated him like they said they would? Surely his protection wouldn’t last for only a few hours. That’s a whoopsie. If Helo killed him too before the resurrection ship jumped into the vicinity, it’s a moot point, but he’d have been a wrinkle in Apollo’s plan.)

Gaeta has also returned to a military hairstyle, I notice.

This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/452332.html.

tv pre-2021, battlestar galactica

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